Man, That Kiss Would Last Foreeeeeever
by LaniLaniDuck
Summary: Kurt remembers when Blaine took his hand and led him to the Warbler's performance, taking a shortcut. He remembers the floating feeling of running with him. He finds out later that's due to the magic powers of the infamous slow-motion hallway of Dalton.
1. Chapter 1

AN: This is based off of a post on Tumblr- I can't look for the link now because my computer is shitty and hates gifs, but I'll find it and post it in the notes for the next chapter, probably.

This story is gonna be pretty short- three chapters? It was gonna be a one-shot. And then I got to page 11, and it wasn't anywhere near being done, and I decided it would be best to split it up, because I'm kinda dying from not posting anything. It feels weird.

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own Glee. I don't own anything that I vaguely referenced in here because I'm a giant nerd. I am not making any money off of this. Nope. **

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The first time Kurt had been at Dalton, he'd been a little too preoccupied with the amazing feeling of that boy's hand in his. He'd been a bit too overwhelmed by the majesty of this school, the winding staircases, the wood-paneled walls, the rich colors. He was far too amazed with everything, and everything felt magical, and really, he'd lost the ability to focus on anything other than _Blaine._

So it was to be excused, that he didn't notice.

But that night, as he lay in bed and wondered and worried and definitely _didn't _fall asleep, no matter how hard he tried, he remembered something a little weird.

He found out, weeks later, that the students at Dalton liked to refer to it as the slow-motion hallway.

"The slow-motion hallway of DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!" Wes shouted, running at high speed, his feet sliding over the threshold at the exact moment he started to say " DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!"

"Oh my god," Kurt said, looking at Blaine and David in disbelief. "He actually just- he- I- But how- you can't fake that."

"No, you can't. When we say slow-motion hallway, we _mean _slow-motion hallway." Blaine confirmed. They followed Wes. It was the strangest sensation. It wasn't immediately obvious. Things still felt like they were moving at normal speed, at least until you thought about it. Then you suddenly became aware of really, really minor details.

Kurt could feel the air, could feel how it tugged ever so slightly at his hair as he moved through it. He could feel the way his clothes moved against his skin, the way his feet hit the floor- rolling through his heel to his toes. And then he looked over. And Blaine was just as affected by whatever it was that caused this anomaly.

Kurt could move his hand, and it felt just the slightest bit slower than usual. Like he was moving through really dry water. He could look down at his hand, and his brain would refuse to see anything strange or mysterious. It just didn't hold with such nonsense. But when he looked at Blaine, he could tell.

Because Blaine looked even more like a supermodel than usual. He was striding purposefully through the hallway, his eyes dark, staring straight ahead. His blazer was unbuttoned, and blowing in the wind. Not that there was any _actual _wind in this hallway. Dalton was actually surprisingly non-drafty. Blaine looked so absurdly sexy. He moved in front of Kurt, and his slow-motion ass was right there.

It about ten times more fun than watcihng Blaine walk usually was. And Kurt _loved _to watch Blaine walk.

And then they were walking out of the hallway, and the world sped up a little to meet Kurt. He felt dizzy, and reached out, his hand meeting Blaine's shoulder, leaning on him a little for a minute.

"You alright?" Blaine asked him, looking concerned. "It can be disorienting the first time you notice."

"Awww, so cute!" David exclaimed. Both boys stuck their tongues out at him, used to this sort of comment, but other than that, they ignored him

"I'm fine. Just got a bit of a head-rush." Kurt assured Blaine. He looked relieved.

"So what do you think of the slow-motion hallway?" David asked. "Any questions?"

"How in the world is it possible?" Kurt asked, dumbfounded.

"Ah, the first question you ask, I am afraid I can not answer," David told him, using a british accent. Kurt wasn't sure why, but decided he probably didn't want to know. "But there are theories. Many theories. And legends."

"We should have a slow-motion hallway legend telling party! Like the one we did last year!" Wes said, bouncing up and down excitedly.

"Oh, because that ended so well." Blaine commented wryly.

"What happened?" Kurt wanted to know.

"It wasn't that bad!" Wes protested.

"Yeah, the scorch marks went away eventually!" David reasoned.

"I painted over them!" Blaine shouted. This actually managed to shut them up for a minute.

"No, seriously, what happened?" Kurt asked again. Blaine smiled a little, and grabbed Kurt's hand to lead him into the commons. Kurt's breath caught. Blaine was a very- _touchy _person. In a good way. They'd been holding hands a minute into knowing each other. They held hands and Blaine adjusted his collar and then, after the performance, Blaine had hugged him. Kurt recognized that look in his eyes, could practically feel the rush of a good show just by being next to him. And then he hugged him and Kurt had felt such shock that someone had actually volunteered to touch him.

Seriously, he'd been at Dalton for a week now, and Blaine was still grabbing his hand and attacking him with surprise hugs and bumping their legs together when they sat side by side. He should be used to it. But he so wasn't. He still blushed and freaked out and tried to figure out what it meant.

"So, one of the stories-"

"Legends." Wes corrected him, as they sat down on their favorite couch by the fireplace.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Blaine said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "One of the _legends-"_

"Thank you." Wes said politely. Kurt laughed, but Blaine just went on talking.

"-of the slow-motion hallway involve there being a battle going on outside the school."

"Why?" Kurt asked.

"I don't know," Blaine said, looking amused. "All of the _legends _are a little silly, to tell the truth. It's funny- you can tell when the _legend _started, because they all have themes, depending on the era they're from."

"The ones from the seventies are the best," David told him matter-of-factly. "Because everyone was so high. Pure gold."

"Anyway," Blaine continued. "David and Wes decided that they needed to really set the mood."

"We wanted to immerse young Blaine in the legend, you see." Wes explained.

"So they somehow came upon the opinion that the best way to really immerse me in the _legend_ was to set off fireworks. In my brand new dorm room."

Kurt burst out laughing.

"We got into _so much _trouble." David told him.

"They didn't have a free night for the next three months. Detention." Blaine said.

"Yeah, well, we didn't know the mean RA was on your floor." Wes said.

"What are you talking about? Are you talking about your insane fireworks idea last year?" A new voice insisted. Kurt looked up- it was Eric. _Sigh._

Eric was- well, a little crazy. A little paranoid. While Blaine, David, and Wes had found Kurt's attempt at spying endearing, Eric had found it quite the affront. He treated Kurt with an air of distrust that hadn't faded yet. Kurt didn't take it personally- Blaine said Eric had acted the same way towards him. Eric seemed to frown upon anyone who transferred in the middle of the year. Why, nobody seemed to know.

"Yes, we were," Wes confirmed. "And we're considering a repeat performance."

"No way," Kurt said, panic filling his voice. "I have some very expensive pieces in my room. You do not get to waltz in with _anything _that could destroy them." Wes gave him a very confused look.

"Pieces?" David asked for him.

"He means clothes." Blaine explained.

"Oh!"

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That night, a very large group of boys was gathered in Kurt's room. Wes and David were perched on his bed, and had forced everyone else to sit on the floor. Blaine sat against a wall, and Kurt sat between his legs, leaning against his chest. The angle, sitting so low with the two boys so high up, was a bit awkward, but he wasn't complaining.

"Is everyone here?" David asked, looking about the room like some sort of authority figure. Kurt shivered in fear at the thought. Sure enough, everyone was there. Every member of the Warblers had shown up, even Eric. Kurt recognized most of the people there, but there were a few underclassmen (the rest of the school called them first-years, but he hadn't gotten used to that yet) he'd never seen before who were sitting there, looking surprised to be there. Kurt wouldn't have put it past David and Wes to have just pulled the poor boys into the room without telling them what was going on.

"I think we're set." Wes confirmed as the last stragglers found spots on the floor.

"Right. So. The legend of the slow-motion hallway." David began.

"Aren't there a lot of legends?" Kurt couldn't help but ask.

"Don't ask questions!" Wes snapped. The power seemed to be getting to his head quite quickly. "And yes, there is a veritable buffet dinner of legends about said hallway. But David and I decided that we would start with _the _legend. The legend that began it all. The true legend. Not the silly stuff other Dalton boys have made up over the years."

"Not that we frown on the silly stuff," David reassured them. Nobody had really looked all that concerned, but his tone was definitely reassuring. "We'll open up the platform for legends to be told once Wes and I have finished."

"We're going to be here all night, aren't we?" Kurt whispered to Blaine, who laughed quietly. His chest bounced Kurt's head a little. Kurt didn't mind one bit.

"I should warn you before we start, the story is scary," Wes said. "So we suggest snuggling up to someone, like Blaine and Kurt."

Every head turned to look back at the boys, who blushed. But neither one made to stop the cuddles.

"Right. So as we were saying. The legend of the slow-motion hallway." David's voice pitched dark and ominous as he introduced the story. Sorry. _Legend._

"It was a dark and stormy night in the middle-of-nowhere Ohio." Wes began.

"Because it should always be a dark and stormy night. It's just better." David informed them.

"Oh boy. It's going to be one of _these _stories." Blaine muttered.

"What do you mean?" Kurt asked, craning his neck to see Blaine in a way that he didn't his neck was actually supposed to go. It hurt. He kept doing it.

"They're going to interrupt and talk over each other the entire time. The actual story will be impossible to understand and it won't be the slightest bit funny. Listen." Blaine said, leaning over slightly to murmur into Kurt's ear. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up at the sound.

"The year is sometime a long time ago," Wes was saying. "When Dalton had just been founded."

"All the boys who went to Dalton were very proper, dapper young men." David told them.

"Much like Blaine."

"Yes, very much like Blaine indeed. So much like Blaine that not a single Dalton-ite ever made the first move with anything. They just sat there and mooned over each other-"

"Because everyone in that time was gay. Really damn gay. I mean, have you seen those outfits?" Wes said. Kurt could feel a tangent coming on. "They wore, like, tights and billow-y shirts that were cut down to their navels and then they, like, had swordfights and rode horses."

"So gay," David confirmed. He noticed the looks Kurt and Blaine were giving them. "Not that all gay guys wear tights."

"Yeah, just the ones like Kurt." Wes said. Kurt looked around, found a pillow that was being sat on, and threw it at Wes. It hit him in the face.

Wes spluttered. The boy who had been sitting on the pillow glared at Kurt.

"Hey, it's my pillow. And the slipcover is made of a hundred percent organic silk imported from India, so you really shouldn't be sitting on it anyway."

"Can we stop comparing the Dalton boys of yester-year to me and Kurt and get on with this?" Blaine asked exasperatedly.

"With pleasure." David said. He actually bowed a little. At least, as much as he could bow while sitting on a bed.

"Where were we?" Wes asked. Neither boy seemed to know.

"Everyone at Dalton was gay." A random member of the audience supplied.

"Why yes, thank you. They were all gay. But they were proper, repressed gays, so basically all they did was sit around and pretend they liked girls."

"Is this at all relevant to the story?" Someone asked.

"LEGEND," Wes all but bellowed. "And no, it doesn't. Just setting the scene."

It was at this point that Blaine, who had is arms wrapped around Kurt's torso, started absent-mindedly running his fingers up and down Kurt's hipbones. It was at this point that Kurt stopped paying any attention to David and Wes.

_We're just friends. He_ told himself. _We've been over this. I like him, and he thinks of me as a friend. It's clear. _

But it was starting to get less clear.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: I had this part written, so it's a quick update. But I'm not sure when I'll get the next chapter out. Should be a few days. :/

Oh, and you guys don't get to hear the rest of the Legend. Mostly because I don't know all of the Legend, and it was taking to long to figure out. A lot of people were saying they were looking forward to seeing it. I apologize.

Here's the link to the Tumblr post- I couldn't find the original, since it was from so long ago. I had to go back about ten pages on my profile to find it. Http:/ lanilaniduck. Tumblr. com/post/2069692088/ what-if-klaines-first-kiss-was-in-the-slow-motion

For the record- I'm gonna let this be as crakish as it wants to be. And as fannon!Dalton as it wants to be. I have some pretty complex feelings about the show and how it compares to fannon and lots of other psychological musings. But this is just meant to be silly.

And I forgot to mention last time- I blatantly stole the OC Eric from my favorite Klaine-verse ever, the Dalton Boys Are Geeks 'verse. Read it. And props to the person who recognized him. Http:/ infraredphaeton. Livejournal.

Okay, on with the chapter!

**Disclaimer:**

**Still don't own it. I don't own World of Warcraft, either. Really, I don't own anything. **

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In the next few weeks at Dalton, they ended up going through the slow-motion hallway a lot. It was pretty great, actually. After a couple times, the overwhelming head-rush of coming back into the world lessened in intensity. It felt a bit like a wave crashing over Kurt's mind. It wiped it blank, and afterwords- he always felt a little lighter, a little more focused.

"Hey, I have a big test today- lets swing by that infamous slow-motion hallway." Blaine suggested one day. Kurt gave him a confused look.

"Why does that hallway have to do with your test?" He asked.

"It helps me feel more alert," Blaine confided. "It's like, when you're in the hallway everything feels so thick and intense and slow. Like you've been in a hot bath for too long," Kurt tried desperately to not imagine Blaine in a bathtub. It didn't work. "But then you leave, and no matter slow you were feeling before you went in, it doesn't feel that bad compared to how slow you just were."

It was the perfect description. Kurt nodded, and they walked into the hallway, hands clasped in a gentle, friendly manner.

About halfway through the hall, something about the way they were holding hands changed. It wasn't friendly anymore. Kurt felt like sparks were jumping between them, moving from boy to hands to boy. He gripped Blaine tighter, looking over for some kind of sign that he was feeling the same thing.

The look in Blaine's eyes was confused, but hopeful. The stopped walking. Standing still in this hallway was a very strange thing. Kurt felt rooted to the spot, he felt like he was slowly catching on fire, bit by bit.

Or maybe that was just the way Blaine was looking at him.

"Kurt, I-" Blaine started to say, and Kurt's gasped a little, afraid to hope that he knew what was happening- but with a deep, loud "DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!" Wes killed all of that. He slid into the hallway as usual. But this time, his shoe caught on part of the floor, and he fell to the ground.

When everything is in slow-motion, falling over looks really cool. Wes's arms flailed, and his face contorted in surprise, and his body twirled around. For a second, it looked like he was going to do a flip. But then he hit the ground, and he slid forward several feet. As if in slow-motion -though actually, it _was _in slow-motion- Kurt watched as Wes slid into Blaine's legs, upending him.

The mess of limbs was incredible. Kurt could hardly tell one boy from the other. He felt a sharp pang of jealousy towards Wes, lying beneath Blaine, tangled together, but one glance at the looks of pain on Wes and Blaine's faces and the jealousy went away. He reached down and helped lift the two to their feet. It was a weird sensation. He could feel every muscle he was using move in different ways, straining and rippling.

Rippling wasn't a word Kurt generally thought to associate with himself. He wondered if Blaine could see this new rippling action. He hoped so.

"Thanks." Blaine said quietly, and he tried to walk forward. His leg didn't seem to agree with this plan, and it almost gave out.

"Here." Kurt said, and he pulled the shorter boy's arm around his shoulder, placing a hand on his waist, and taking most of his weight. Blaine's blazer slipped out from under his hand at the odd angle Blaine's torso was being held, and suddenly Kurt's hand wasn't on the familiar, navy blue fabric. It was gripping at Blaine's white dress shirt. It was one layer closer to Blaine's skin, to Blaine's chest, than he had ever been. Was he breathing? He couldn't tell.

They walked _very _slowly. There was no helping it. It was clear that satanic forces were at work here, and they wouldn't have been able to walk at a normal pace even if they'd been in a more normal hallway.

Finally, they stepped through the doorway, and their feet hit the ground a bit harder, and a bit faster. They were out.

"Where's David?" Kurt asked, lowering Blaine to sit on a bench next to the door. "He's always around when you get up to shenanigans like this."

"I took a shortcut. Didn't want to struggle to keep up with you guys, so I went the long way." David told them, walking around a corner at just the right moment.

"I thought you said that hallway was the shortcut!" Kurt said, turning on Blaine. Blaine simply shrugged.

"It is, if you run." He said.

"Running in there is like walking at leisurely pace out here. But it's still generally faster than the long way. Unless you run the long way," David elaborated. "Which I did."

Kurt sat down next to Blaine, who winced when their legs bumped.

"You okay?" He asked. Clearly, too much of his concern showed through his voice, and David and Wes sniggered. "We have rehearsal soon, and since you're like the only guy in the Warblers who can dance, if you're out of commission there's no way anyone is learning any choreography." He explained, trying to make it seem like he was concerned about their routine, and not for Blaine. It probably didn't work. Whatever.

"I should be alright," Blaine said, his hands massaging his left leg gently. "I'm gonna have one hell of a bruise on my knee, and maybe I should get a little ice on it before rehearsal. But I should be fine."

"If you die, can I have your solo?" Eric asked him, walking by. There was a wolfish grin on his face that indicated that he was completely serious. Eric was kinda scary.

"Sure, Eric." Blaine said, sighing a little as his grin only grew wider, and he practically skipped away.

"God, Blaine! Why did you do that?" Wes asked, wild panic in his eyes.

"What did I do now?" Blaine asked resignedly. Kurt laughed. It was fun, seeing the way Blaine and David and Wes interacted. David and Wes were constantly driving Blaine crazy, teasing him and embarrassing him and messing up his hair. But it was so clear how much Blaine cared about these guys. And Kurt understood that. They were silly and ridiculous and they had this sort of infectious energy that made everyone around them a bit happier. Blaine pretended to be annoyed, and he rolled his eyes, but he loved every second he was spending with them.

"You told him he could have something if you died!" Wes shouted, gesticulating wildly.

"Now he's going to kill you!" David yelled. A teacher walked past and shushed them half-heartedly.

"He's not going to kill me." Blaine said reasonably.

"Blaine. This is Eric we're talking about." Wes said, as though talking to someone very stupid.

"HE'S GOING TO KILL YOU." David yelled again.

"They have a point," Kurt admitted. "I could see Eric committing murder for a solo. He's a lot like Rachel sometimes."

"Rachel?" Eric asked, his head popping out of the ceiling.

"Dude, how did you get up there?" David asked.

"_Why _did you get up there?" Wes asked.

"I like it up here. I don't expect people at your level to understand. What were you saying about Rachel?"

"Um..." Kurt searched wildly for something to say that wasn't about how he thought Eric could be a murderer. _A-ha! _Eric had met Rachel before- long story- and he had a raging crush on the girl."She and Finn broke up last week."

Eric fell out of the ceiling, springing up a second later like nothing had happened. Why he could fall from the ceiling and be fine, while Blaine had been tripped and had a bruise the size of texas blooming on his leg, Kurt didn't know. Eric just did shit like that.

"And you didn't tell me?" Eric asked, a terrifying glint in his eye. Great. Now he was going to kill Kurt too. He'd probably run him through with a sword, or some other way that was really painful and would get blood all over Kurt's clothes.

"Just heard. And anyway, you couldn't have done anything yet. People need time to get over break-ups before they start dating other people." Kurt reasoned.

"Uh-uh, sure. I'm going to go seduce Rachel now, see you later." And he turned on his heel, walking away quickly.

"Eric, rehearsal is in a few hours!" Blaine called after him.

"It won't take long!" Eric called back.

"He does know she lives in Lima, right?" Kurt asked. Blaine just shrugged.

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When Blaine told Kurt that he played World of Warcraft, Kurt laughed.

"No, really!" He insisted. "I do!"

"Why?" Kurt asked.

"It's just- it's what we do here." Blaine tried to explain.

"Dalton boys play WoW." David confirmed, walking up behind them and draping his arms across the two boys.

"Come on, Kurt, let's go get you set up," Wes said, a step behind them. "It's almost time to play!"

Apparently, it was WoW night at Dalton. They walked into the commons, and it looked like a completely different room. It was packed. There were easily fifty guys in there, milling around, joking loudly, and sitting at computers. The room was full of computers. Kurt found himself being led towards a cluster of monitors, and he recognized Blaine's.

"I don't know why you think I'm going to start playing this." Kurt said. They'd tried to get him to play video games with him before. He was a decent player, but after just a little bit of "brotherly bonding" with Finn, he'd gotten tired of being shot at. He didn't think it would matter if he was getting shot at by machine guns or bows and arrows.

"Because it's fun!" David said, looking confused.

"Because everyone is doing it!" Wes continued.

"Because I said please?" Blaine asked, and then he did something highly unfair. He pouted. Kurt melted a little.

"Oh, alright." He relented, trying not to obviously swoon.

"Way to go Blaine!" Wes said, giving Blaine a high-five, which he retuned, sheepishly.

"Yeah, we should remember that trick. Pout at Kurt, get him to do whatever you want." David said. Kurt blushed bright red.

"I don't think it'll work for us, David." Wes pointed out.

"Right. You have to have those dashing eyebrows, that hair gelled to perfection, those sweet hazel eyes..."

Kurt blushed even more.

"Ignore them." Blaine muttered to him, but he couldn't help notice that Blaine's face was a bit flushed. Well, that was interesting. Kurt reanalyzed their friendship, as he often did. David and Wes teased them a lot about liking each other, and they always brushed it off. They would protest, saying 'We're just friends!' at the same time, and they'd smile at each other and go back to what they were doing. It was nice. He loved being Blaine's friend. He loved the feeling of being a part of such an epic group of people, loved getting to know them and having them get to know him.

But sometimes, he knew that there was more to it than that. And those sometimes had been happening more and more recently. It was one thing to have a crush on someone who was just a friend. It was another thing to suspect that you were falling for that person, head over heels.

"Here. You can make a character on my second account- it's faster than setting up a trial account." Blaine said, leaning in to click on the WoW icon on the desktop of the computer in front of Kurt, and typing in his login information with practiced speed.

"You have _two _accounts?" Kurt asked, confused.

"My brother had one, then he stopped using it. So he gave it to me for my birthday last year. He pays for it," Blaine explained. Kurt nodded, as Blaine clicked on buttons he didn't understand. Blaine didn't talk about his family that much, and he was busy absorbing the information. He had a brother. An older one, from the sound of it. "Here, now you can make your character." Blaine said, stepping back.

"What does Alliance mean?" He asked, squinting at the screen.

"Horde! Click horde!" Wes shouted, and over half the room exploded into cheers. The rest of it booed and hissed. They made Kurt jump, and with a frightened look around him, David and Wes chanting "Horde! Horde! Horde!" beside him, he followed Wes's instruction. They sighed in relief.

"Good choice," Blaine told him, and gave him a smile of approval. It made Kurt glow a little. "They would've stopped talking to you, and shunned you, and you would never be friends again. I am only slightly kidding."

"Yeah. We used to be buddies with Eric." David said. Kurt's jaw dropped.

"_And then he went over to the Dark Side_." Wes said, his voice ominous.

"Wait, what?" Kurt asked. "You guys were friends with Eric?"

"Before Blaine came along, yeah." Wes said.

"And you stopped being friends with him because _he was on the wrong side in World of Warcraft?" _He looked at Blaine. "That is crazy, right? I'm not over-reacting?"

"No, it's crazy." Blaine said, not seeming that concerned. He was mostly focused on getting set up on his computer.

"Well, it wasn't just about WoW," David admitted. "He was also starting to get a bit more insane."

"Insane in a bad way."

"Yeah, not endearing insane like we are."

"And there was also that thing where you kinda made out with the girl he had a crush on for ages and ages."

David looked offended. "Hey, I mentioned I liked her, and he said nothing! And then I told him, and he flipped his shit! Like, ran at me with a fork and tried to stab me."

"What?" Kurt asked.

"Sorry about that, dude." Eric said. He'd been sitting on the couch behind them the entire time.

"No problem," David brushed it off. "Alliance scum."


	3. Chapter 3

AN: ...This is the length of the first two chapters combined.

I don't really have anything to say. This is mostly because I'm sleep deprived. I was going to go to sleep early last night. And then I read the fic. You know the one I'm talking about. And I couldn't sleep. And then I went swimming. I am tired in my bones.

Thank you, everyone who had commented. I have this complex where I don't think I'm funny enough to write a _funny _story. But your support has actually helped me realize that's not true. And that's made of awesome. I love you guys. :)

CHEESY LAST NOTE FTW.

**Disclaimer: I don't have a clever way to say it, so I'll just say it. I don't own Glee, or anything in this.**

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Kurt scrambled at the mouse wildly, having no idea what to do to save his character- a shaggy-haired Mage Blood Elf- from _another _horrible death.

"No, no, do this- click here," Blaine corrected him, as he placed his hand on top of his (Kurt's lungs stopped working at this) to guide the mouse in the right direction. "Click on this, and it'll start to load. Then you click on this, and attack, and then you go over _here_-" he moved the mouse again. When he pressed down with his index finger to click on something, his whole hand pressed down onto Kurt's. Killing animated magical creatures should not be so sexy.

And another thing. He was close enough, when he leaned in and took over like that, for Kurt to smell the product in his hair. He smelled like cinnamon. Kurt was suddenly very aware of his apple-scented face and hair. Blaine was all spicy and exciting, and Kurt smelled like a fruit. Dear god, he smelled fruity. _I am such a stereotype. _He thought to himself, mortified.

"Bye, guys." The last few WoW players waved to Blaine and Kurt as they walked out, leaving the two boys alone in the large room. They wished them a goodnight and looked back at the computer. Blaine had been trying all night to teach him the basics of WoW. With his help, he successfully killed whatever it was he was supposed to be killing.

"What did I tell you? It's not that difficult." Blaine said, giving control of the mouse back to Kurt.

"Yeah, not when you're doing it for me." Kurt insisted. From somewhere offscreen, something attacked him. He spun around frantically, and somehow switched the view, so that he was watching his character be killed spectacularly as if from the sky. The bar at the top of the screen dropped empty. Again.

"See?" He said, looking despondently at the statue he was _so _sick of standing in front of. "I died again."

Blaine looked over and sighed. "We should probably call it a night," He said, logging out and turning off the computer. "It's almost two." He added, looking down at his pocket watch and stifling a yawn.

"I'm sorry. I suck."

Blaine smirked. "I don't mind. It's just extra time I get to spend with you."

"And now I'm bright red." Kurt complained softly, and they sat for a moment, neither one making a move to get up. Just sitting.

"It's two o' eight," Kurt murmured eventually, loathe to interrupt the thick feeling of 'We both like each other but neither one of us is butch enough to fully acknowledge it, much less do something about it' that filled the silence. "How are we going to get back? We are _so _not supposed to be out this late."

"The faculty turns a blind eye to how late we stay up on WoW nights," Blaine told him, taking a breath and then standing up, gathering his things. "As long as we're quiet, we should be fine."

Kurt slung his messenger bag over his shoulder. "So we're sneaking out, and hoping we don't give anyone reason to notice us?"

"Yeah, basically," Blaine replied. "Follow me."

So he did. They walked slowly, and they didn't talk, they didn't even whisper. It felt a little magical, walking so close together that the sides of their arms grazed each other, walking so silently that every breath echoed around them. They were in their own world. In a school full of crazy, friendly boys, Kurt hadn't really gotten to spend much time just with Blaine. It was nice to go back to that, if only for a while.

They had hardly left the commons when they heard the tapping of shoes- with someone in them- making their way down a hall somewhere nearby.

"Shit," Blaine muttered, looking around quickly. "They always go down to check that we've all left at some point- we left too late."

"What do we do?" Kurt whispered, his mind going ballistic in panic. If he got caught out of bed this late, with another boy, who was also gay- he could get in so much trouble. He could get kicked out. His dad would freak. Blaine would get in even worse trouble, being older. Not being new. What in the world were they going to do?

Blaine looked over Kurt's shoulder, and laughed quietly. "Shortcut?" He asked, and turned Kurt to look around. It was just another closed door, and he opened his mouth to say so, before a memory jumped out at him. A memory of running hand in hand with Blaine, amazed with everything in sight, his body feeling light and free. Always that damn memory, popping up all over the place.

"Blaine, it'll take us forever to get through there. We'll be caught for sure." He whispered.

Blaine just raised an eyebrow. "Not if we run." He said, and he grabbed Kurt's hand, pulling him into the room before he could protest.

The now familiar feeling of entering the hallway rushed over them, and Kurt grabbed Blaine's hand tighter in response. Now that he knew what was waiting for him, Kurt remembered everything from the first time he'd been here in much more detail. Every feeling, every sight- they were mirrored now.

Except the room was lit by the moon, and Blaine had taken the right hand in his, so they weren't running so awkwardly this time.

And this time, laughter bubbled up in his chest and fought to get past his lips, and Blaine seemed to be having the same problem, and then they were out, and the world sped up again, and they collapsed to the floor, fighting hysterical laughter that didn't really make any sense.

"Why- am I- laughing?" Kurt gasped, shaking. Blaine looked at him, his face screwed up in an attempt to not laugh. It was the funniest face Kurt had ever seen.

"Same reason- I'm laughing." Blaine managed to whisper.

"And what's that?" Kurt asked.

"No idea!" Blaine replied, and burst into giggles. Kurt joined him. They lay on the cold ground, their hands still clasped together, until their mirth died down, and they could breathe, and they realized that they weren't really in the wisest place to be at the moment.

So they stood up, and gave each other amused looks, and Blaine walked Kurt to his room.

It was only when the door was closed behind him that Kurt realized the flying feeling he'd thought came from the slow-motion hallway actually came from being with Blaine. It went away when he went away.

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Two days later, in the middle of lunch, David said something to Blaine that sounded a lot like "When you were talking about Kurt the other night-"

Kurt couldn't be sure, and he didn't know where it had been going, or what it meant. Because there'd been a loud thud, and David, who had unwisely been sitting directing across the table from Blaine, yelped in pain and cradled his shin in his arms. By the time he'd recovered, Blaine had already changed the subject.

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The weekend after that, Kurt went to Lima, as he did whenever he could. He took in the sight of Blaine in a thick, bottle-green sweater and dark wash jeans with pleasure before the boy wrapped him in a tight hug.

"Have a great time. Tell Mercedes I say hi." Blaine whispered in his ear. As they stepped apart, Kurt could've _sworn _Blaine's hand grazed below the waistline of his pants.

"I- I will." He stuttered, hoping Blaine would think the skip in his voice was from the chill air. Knowing he probably wouldn't.

"And get back soon!" Blaine called over his shoulder as he walked away.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sunday night, driving back to Dalton, Kurt got a strange text.

_Want to see a movie or something with me this thursday?_

The number was unknown. Confused, Kurt texted back.

_Blaine? Why aren't you texting me from your phone?_

A couple of minutes later, the reply came.

_Um, no. It's Allen._

Oh. Shit. Allen was the guy Kurt sat next to in Biology. He was nice. And cute. And now he was asking him out.

_You there? _Allen asked.

_Yeah, I'm here. I just have no idea what the fuck to say. _Kurt typed out, but he deleted it as soon as he had finished. His thoughts rushed around. He had to say something.

_Sorry, I'm driving and can't really text. Can I get back to you? _There. That sounded okay.

_Sure, no problem. See you later, Kurt. :)_

_Yeah, see you. :)_

Kurt added the smiley face in the hopes that it would mask the dread that was quickly building a home- a four story one, the kind you raise a family in, with a pool and jacuzzi and a treehouse- in his stomach.

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Kurt's phone buzzed again about fifteen minutes later. He looked down- this one was from Blaine. He smiled to himself.

_You on your way back to the magical land of Dalton yet? _

Kurt giggled.

_Thankfully. I missed you crazy kids._ He typed. The response came not even a minute later.

_We missed you too._

The sound Kurt made was vaguely like a squeal. Before he could put together a coherent thought to text, Blaine had sent him another one.

_Hey, I desperately need a Chicago fix. How about you, me, and Richard Gere tomorrow night? I'll even make popcorn. Wanna come over?_

_I'd love to. :)_ Kurt replied.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

That night, Blaine gave him an odd look, and hugged him much more briefly than he had a few days ago.

"How was Lima?" He asked. Kurt looked in his eyes. There was something weird there. Something blocked off.

"Same as always. Fields of corn. Lots of flannel." Kurt joked. Neither boy laughed.

"Good, good." Blaine said absently. God, this was painful. What was going on?

Kurt faked a yawn. "Long drive. I'm gonna hit the sack."

Blaine nodded. With an awkward glance at each other, they went their separate ways.

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On the way up to his room, Kurt almost literally ran into Wes.

"Hey Kurt. Glad you're back. Blaine's been moping like crazy since you left." Wes said, patting him on the back.

"He still is, by the look of things." Kurt muttered.

"What? No way," Wes said, looking about as confused as Kurt felt. Then a look of comprehension dawned on his face. "Oh." He simply said.

"What's going on with him?" Kurt asked, trying to keep the hurt out of his voice. Wes looked at him. It was the most serious Kurt had ever seen the guy. This wasn't some fake studiousness, ramped up for laughs.

"News travels fast around here." He said, and continued going wherever he was going.

"I- what news?" Kurt asked.

"Think about it." Wes simply said.

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Kurt thought about it. He thought about it in circles and circles, going over what he'd thought he'd had with Blaine, what he could've done wrong. He lay in bed, on top of the covers, not even trying to fool himself into thinking he was going to be able to sleep that night.

He wasn't sure how late it was when his phone buzzed with a text. He just knew it was later than he wanted to be talking to anyone. He gazed at the screen morosely. It was from Allen. _Shit._

_Great! What time should I pick you up?_

Wait, what? That couldn't be right. He'd definitely never said yes to Allen. There was no way anything he'd said could've been misconstrued as an agreement to a date. Or was there? Maybe he'd phrased something weirdly. Kurt went to look at the conversation they'd had earlier. _Oh no. _He thought, heart sinking as everything started to make sense.There, the last thing he'd said to Allen: _I'd love to. :) _

He didn't even bother to answer the text. He slid off his bed, tossing his phone onto his bedside table distractedly.

"_News travels fast around here." _Wes had told him. It hadn't even been two hours since Allen had gotten a text that made it seem as if Kurt was happy to go on a date with him. Well, now Kurt knew what news.

He had to find Blaine. Had to explain. And as that mission popped into his head, he knew he didn't want to go anywhere with Allen. Because even though he and Blaine were "Just Friends", they weren't really. Blaine didn't feel like just his friend, and he thought that maybe Blaine felt the same. And even if nothing happened between them, Kurt was still going to be hung up on him for a while. He didn't want to date anyone. He just wanted to be Blaine's. _Oh boy. _

_Allen, there's been a misunderstanding- I can explain it in person if you want, it's too complicated for text. I think you're really cool, and nice, but I have feelings for someone else. I'm sorry. _It was the best he could do. Maybe if he had more time, it could've been more thought out. But he so didn't.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

What felt like seconds later, he was pounding on the door to Blaine's room.

"Blaine, open up! I know you're in there, it's important!" He called, trying to talk loudly enough to be heard through the door, but not loud enough to wake the entire floor. There was no answer. He continued to knock. Blaine was not getting away from him that easy.

"Oh thank god, Bl- You're not Blaine."

The door had swung open, but Blaine wasn't behind it. A very tired-looking Wes was.

"No, I'm not," He said. "And you were wrong."

Kurt had no idea what he was talking about. "What?"

"He's not here. Left a bit ago. Said he needed to stretch his legs or something."

"But- but it's past curfew." Kurt protested. Wes gestured vaguely in his direction.

"Didn't stop you."

They stood there awkwardly. Kurt didn't know where to go next, and Wes was gazing about blearily, clearly not awake enough to do anything. Kurt took a deep breath. Clearly, he was going to have to go searching.

"Right. I'll just go find him then," Kurt decided out loud. Wes nodded absently, and didn't move. "Go to sleep, Wes." He instructed the boy, and pushed him gently into his room.

"Goodnight." He heard Wes mutter as the door closed.

Now he just had to find Blaine somewhere on the enormous campus.

Right. No problem.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Actually, it wasn't as large of a task as one would think. Kurt stood in the hall of Blaine's dorm for a minute, unsure of what to do, his mind racing. And then it seemed so obvious. So he started walking.

And sure enough, as he looked into the slow-motion hallway, he could see Blaine. Sitting in a large leather armchair, staring out the window next to him, still and silent. Kurt took a step forward, and the sound of his foot hitting the floor broke the silence. The room's magic slow-motion powers fell over him like a blanket, and Blaine looked up, surprised.

"Oh," Blaine said, avoiding eye contact. He looked paler than usual in the light from the moon. "How'd you know I'd be here?"

"I just knew." Kurt replied quietly. They were almost whispering. He gave Blaine a look, a questioning look. Blaine understood, and slid to the side of the armchair. It was big enough for both of them to sit comfortably.

"Course you did." Blaine said. There was a rueful smile on his lips. They sat side by side. Kurt could practically hear the moments ticking past, slowly.

"You heard about Allen." He said. It was a statement. It didn't just acknowledge that Blaine had heard. It acknowledged it being the reason for Blaine's bad mood. It acknowledged that there was a reason for Blaine to be upset by it. It was the closest either one had been to saying what they'd been feeling.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Blaine asked, really looking at Kurt for the first time that night. He sounded so hurt. Confused. Wounded.

"Because I didn't know myself," Kurt said, laughing a little. He saw the inquisitive look Blaine was shooting at him, "Texts got mixed up."

"So when you told Allen you'd go on a date with him, you were actually..." Blaine started, his face brightening hopefully.

"...Trying to tell you I'd watch Chicago with you tomorrow night, yeah." Kurt finished. Blaine grinned.

"Oh. Well then. Good."

"Good?" Kurt asked, raising an eyebrow elegantly.

"Well, you're not going out with him, right?"

The question caught him by surprise. "Of course not- I mean, no. He's not- no. I'm not."

"Then good."

The moment was intense. The clouds that had been hovering over Blaine's eyes lifted away. His face didn't look troubled anymore. It looked clear. Happy. Relieved.

Kurt couldn't stop looking at him. He knew he should probably break his gaze, shift in his seat, bring attention to how close they were leaning together. But he couldn't. His heart seemed to be pumping more blood than usual. That would explain why it felt the way it did. _Is- is he about to kiss me? _Kurt thought, and he jumped a little at the thought.

Blaine noticed, and did the exact opposite of what Kurt wanted him to do- he broke the silence.

"You know why I come here so much?" Blaine asked him, shifting in his seat. They'd been sitting side by side, not touching at all. Blaine on the right, Kurt on the left, and an invisible boundary between them. But Blaine moved, and their legs touched. Their shoulders bumped. And Kurt felt the other boy's hand on his knee.

"No." Kurt said. He took a deep breath. He steadied himself. An idea had popped into his head, and he was gonna do it. He was. He _was._ He took his hand, and he wrapped it around Blaine's. He squeezed, and he gently ran his thumb across his knuckles.

They held hands kind of a lot. But as he moved, Kurt realized that he'd never been the one to take the hand in his. From the way Blaine looked down, his lips parted slightly, his eyes a little dazed, Kurt could tell that he'd noticed that as well. He knew that this was a step towards something.

"Well, it- I- Sometimes I have issues thinking about things." Blaine explained. "It's really easy for me to kind of breeze through stuff here. You know. Go to class, joke around with David and Wes, flirt with the guy I like, eat, do homework, sleep, wake up, repeat. And if I do that for long enough, I have all of these half-thought thoughts and not enough time to go through them."

"So you go through them here." Kurt said, understanding.

Blaine nodded. "Yeah. I can just sit here, and everything kind of clicks into place. Just walking through can do wonders for me. I told you about that. But sitting here, and thinking, and being honest with myself- it grounds me.

"I haven't been here in a while," Blaine continued. "Because I've felt grounded with you. Because you clear my head."

Kurt felt dizzy. He cleared Blaine's head? He had that affect on him? He nodded numbly, unable to form any other response. He, Kurt Elizabeth Hummel, cleared Blaine's head?

"And then- I heard that you were going to a movie with Allen on Thursday, and I was just- _I'd waited too long. _I messed up. And I saw you, and my head wasn't clear anymore, and I just had- this was the only place I could go."

Kurt couldn't feel his fingers. Couldn't feel his toes. In fact, the only thing he could feel was his chest, which was pounding. _Oh, right. Breathing. _He thought to himself, and his lungs filled. He wondered how long he'd been holding his breath. His heart was racing.

"You'd waited too long?" He asked, his voice trembling. "Too long to what?"

"To kiss you, of course." Blaine replied, his tone light but his words slow and perfect, his eyes boring deeply into Kurt's.

"Oh," Kurt gasped. Not for the first time in the conversation, he found himself staring at Blaine's lips. Transfixed. "Blaine... It's not too late."

"It's not?" Blaine asked. Kurt smiled a little as Blaine's voice wavered, higher than usual. He smiled, and shook his head. "Oh." Blaine whispered, and slowly, so very slowly, Kurt watched Blaine lean towards him.

Kurt felt the armchair shift beneath him, heard Blaine's breath quickening, and then _oh holy shit _their faces were closer than they'd ever been before and Blaine was reaching out with the hand not on Kurt's leg, and the gentlest fingers in the history of the planet were on his chin and guiding his lips until Blaine was kissing him, actually _kissing _him and his eyes had closed at some point and their lips were pressed together so slightly, and he leaned in further, and Blaine's mouth was so warm and so soft beneath his and _why _hadn't they been doing this since they met?

Kurt had to pull away after what felt like both a year and no time at all, biting his lip as he looked at Blaine, catching his breath.

"Is this alright?" Blaine asked, and Kurt couldn't speak. Partially it was because he could hardly breathe. And partially it was because Blaine's lips were pink, and Blaine's lips were parted so invitingly, and Kurt had just kissed those lips, and alright didn't begin to cover it.

So he just leaned in. And he kissed him.

"Perfect." He murmured against Blaine's lips.

They moved without realizing they were doing so, Kurt reaching up Blaine's chest to his collar, Blaine's hand at Kurt's waist, both boys pulling the other closer. Kurt's mouth parted, and their lips almost _danced. _Every kiss, every touch, was slow and deliberate. He felt like he was on fire. He pressed closer, tried to taste every second. Blaine opened his mouth immediately. Blaine tangled his own tongue up in Kurt's. Blaine pushed him back until he was leaning against the arm of the chair, almost vertical.

Eventually, Blaine pulled away, and Kurt hated that feeling more than he'd ever hated anything.

"It's really late." Blaine whispered.

"We could get caught." Kurt agreed.

"That would be bad." Blaine said.

"Kiss me again." Kurt couldn't help it. The words just came out.

Blaine simply laughed and stood up, politely holding out his hand for Kurt to take and helping him to his feet. "Come here."

"What?" Kurt asked. And then Blaine stood on tip-toe, his hands on Kurt's shoulders, and kissed him on the forehead.

"You said you wanted me to kiss you." Blaine said.

"Not quite what I had in mind." Kurt admitted, and dipped his head to kiss Blaine softly on the lips. As he pulled away he watched the smile that bloomed on Blaine's face. He pulled their hands together, their fingers intertwining.

"Let's get you to bed." Blaine said, and they walked, hand in hand, out of the hall.

It took a while, but Kurt didn't mind. Every step brought him a bit more certainty in how right this was. He looked back at his time at Dalton and he knew that the little bits that drove him crazy were going to change. No more tension, no more awkwardness. And it was a little terrifying. He'd gotten comfortable in the unsaid things, gotten used to them. He complained about them to Mercedes, but he had, in a way, loved it. He was getting into territory he'd never been in before. _Bring it on. _Kurt thought, and the real world rushed in.

It was weird. It was still so quiet, but everything felt so much sharper. They took a moment to adjust, and then Blaine started to walk towards Kurt's dorm. But Kurt stood rooted to the spot, holding tight to his hand.

"What's up?" Blaine asked, looking worried.

He pulled Blaine to him, their bodies almost touching, and looked questioningly into his eyes.

"You said that when- when you leave the hallway, it helps you figure stuff out. Understand stuff. Know what you want."

"Yeah." Blaine whispered.

Kurt clutched at Blaine's hand and shoulder. "Do you want me?"

"Kurt- I-" Blaine stumbled over his words, but he quickly gave up, and pressed his lips against Kurt's.

When you kiss in the slow-motion hallway, you know that it's happening. You see every second of it. Blaine had leaned into Kurt and Kurt had anticipated their kiss. He'd almost processed it before it had even happened.

But then Blaine was kissing him in real time, and it caught him completely off guard. It knocked the breath out of him.

Blaine pulled back, his eyes blazing. "I want you, Kurt."

"Oh," Kurt gasped. He was tingling. "Well then."

"And you want me, right?" Blaine asked, a silly smile on his face.

"So much." Kurt confirmed. He felt so light.

"Bedtime?" Blaine asked.

"Bedtime." Kurt replied.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Blaine?" Kurt asked, standing in front of his door with Blaine, not wanting to leave.

"Yes, Kurt?"

"Can we go back there again? Because man, that kiss lasted foreeeeeever."

Blaine laughed. "Whenever you want, Kurt."

"Now?" Kurt asked, not the slightest bit tired.

"Go to bed, dear." Blaine said, and kissed him goodnight.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_**The End**_

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End file.
